February 20, 2007	Tuesday	Safar 2, 1428

KARACHI: Concerned citizens and residents of Lines Area have protested against the arbitrary commercialisation of a decades-old community playground located on former Survey No.148/1, Tunisia Lines, on Mubarak Shaheed Road.

In a letter addressed to the Project Director, Lines Area Redevelopment Project, the complainants have asked why a playfield amenity plot, once used by the Karachi Grammar School and later integrated into the LARP for the benefit of the area children and sportsmen, has been unlawfully leased for commercial purposes to the Army Welfare Trust.

The local residents complained that the playground spread over 5 acres had been sub-leased to Makro-Habib Pakistan for construction of a ‘Cash & Carry Store’, and construction had started on site.

The residents said there is an extreme paucity of playgrounds, parks and recreational open spaces in Karachi, forcing children to play cricket and football on the roads, risking their lives. Additionally, mounting social unrest and law and order problems are being caused by lack of adequate recreation and play spaces.

The citizens also highlighted the laws forbidding the conversion of amenity plots to other uses, and asked that the commercialisation of the open space be stopped and the playground be restored for the use of the community.

Copes of the complaint were sent to Nazim Mustafa Kamal and Karachi Cantonment Board President, Vice Admiral F. V. Naqvi. Copies have also been sent to Marek Minkiewicz , the Managing Director of Makro-Habib Pakistan Ltd in Lahore and to Patrick Kennedy, the Chief Executive Officer of SHV Holdings NV, a Dutch multi-natuiional that has a 70% - 30% shareholding with the House of Habib.

Amazingly, when the residents asked the LARP Project Director to get the conversion stopped, he denied conversion or leasing of the plot, stating that “to date this plot is a play ground in the approved Master Plan of LARP Scheme-35, CDGK.”